News and Announcements

Welcome to the 2018-19 school year! May this school year be filled with excitement and blessings as we grow through service in faith, intellect, and community.

Summer is coming to an end, and school is getting ready to start. SOOOOOO … LET’S GET FIRED UP FOR CONCORDIA ATHLETICS!

When you’re a Cadet, you not only get an outstanding education. You also get a chance to take part in rewarding and fun groups and activities — especially for CLHS students. I have always been a fan of Dave Letterman’s “Top 10 Lists” so maybe that is how my list infatuation started. Here is my most recent one that I would like to share with you!

Last week, I was looking at the work done to improve our football field at Zollner. The re-crowning, re-seeding and watering have gone well, and the field will be an improvement over the last few years. Even our practice field is holding up well. The torrential downpours over the weekend were not damaging, but now we need some sun mixed with gentle rain so that by August 10, we are ready for our first football scrimmage and the start of our 55th year of sports at Zollner.

Almost exactly one year ago, it was my honor to assume the role of Director of Athletics at Concordia Lutheran High School. For the previous 20 years I had been both a teacher in the English Department at Concordia and a coach for our football team. I enjoyed the many and various opportunities to interact with students in both the classroom and on the athletic fields.

The Indiana Department of Education has named Concordia Lutheran High School as a recipient of the 2017 Advanced Placement (AP) Awards. To be selected, schools must have at least 25 percent of their 2017 graduating class receiving a 3, 4, or 5 on an AP exam. Concordia had 37% of all seniors receive a 3 or higher (out of those who took the test and those who did not - total grade). Great job students!

I am writing this week from the southern shores of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada. A beautiful part of the world where the Blue Mountains of the Niagara Escarpment plunge into Lake Huron. This area north of Toronto was shaped by God’s hands through the work of glaciers and running water. Some of the resulting work of the Niagara Escarpment happened quickly in geologic time, to some of the oldest rock on the earth’s surface. Everytime I visit this area I am reminded that God’s beauty in nature and love of people is consistently at work: yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Concordia’s school year theme for 2018-2019 is Abide ... with Christ at the Center. What does it mean to abide? We’ll be exploring that idea all throughout the year, beginning with Christ’s words in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

One of the best things about summer is having more time to read. As my family can tell you, I like nothing more than to sit by the pool, on the beach, or on the porch on a beautiful day (or really anywhere!) lost in a good book. Summer vacations and books are inseparable in my mind.

Thinking back to my high school days here at CLHS from 2001-2004, the coaches are what helped to mold my life. Many of the memories I have from that time aren’t basketball related, but they are life lessons. Coach Reinking, Coach Eggold, Coach K, and Coach Holmes were all influential in my basketball career but even more influential in my development as a young man. Coach Tonagel and Coach Clark were just as influential to me at Indiana Wesleyan. Ingraining the phase “I AM 3rd” into my mind and creating a culture that if we want to be 1st as a team, we need to put ourselves 3rd individually. That means putting God and our teammates, 1st and 2nd.